Young Adult/Juvenile, 1952
Helene and her best friend, Gracie, enjoy the delights of growing up in a small town in Illinois in the early 1900s. Helene's Mother is known throughout the community for her Lemon Jelly Cake, which she regularly makes for church socials and whenever special company comes. When a certain lawyer from another town begins to come to dinner fairly often and the Lemon Jelly Cake becomes his favorite, Helene observes events through the innocent eyes of a carefree child.
GG:
Widely acclaimed, and sweetly written (60 years ago) account based loosely on the childhood of the author. Supposedly a book of humor, I found it to be sprinkled with some charmingly funny bits, but ultimately was saddened by the dalliance of the child-narrator between her mother and a wealthy and persistent attorney. Although, in the end, the resolution is meant to be satisfying, to me the pain of the possible infidelity left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps this is because I've been married 30+ years and am crazy in love with my husband. There are many marriages built on trust, fidelity, faith and friendship but it is rare we find books devoted to such unions.
Graded a B-.
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